Are the products you are installing fit for purpose?

摘要

Confusion starts with the fact that the terms accreditation and certification are often used interchangeably and occasionally together. Despite the obvious confusion this can cause, the difference between the two distinct quality management processes can be easily explained. Certification represents a written assurance by a third party of the conformity of a product, process or service to specified requirements. Accreditation on the other hand, is the formal recognition by an authoritative body of the competence to work to specified standards. All accreditation standards include the principles of quality management systems, such as those found in the well-recognized ISO 9001 QMS standard. It is the ability to demonstrate technical competence that puts accredited certification on a level above non-accredited certification.